1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid droplet ejection method and a liquid droplet ejection apparatus, and more particularly, to an inkjet type of liquid droplet ejection method and an inkjet type of liquid droplet ejection apparatus for ejecting a liquid in the form of a liquid droplet by applying ejection energy to the liquid.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet type of liquid droplet ejection apparatus is known, which forms an image, or the like, by ejecting a liquid, such as ink, in the form of liquid droplets, from nozzles formed in the liquid droplet ejection head toward a recording medium. There are various different methods for the liquid droplet ejection method in an inkjet type of liquid droplet ejection apparatus, and known methods include: a piezoelectric method in which the volume of a pressure chamber is changed by deformation of a piezoelectric ceramic, ink is introduced into the pressure chamber from the ink supply channel when the volume is increased, and the ink inside the pressure chamber is ejected from the nozzle in the form of a liquid droplet when the volume of the pressure chamber decreases; and a thermal inkjet method where an air bubble which is generated by momentarily boiling ink by means of a heater or other electrical-thermal conversion elements, grows rapidly and thereby an ink droplet is ejected at high speed from a nozzle.
In an inkjet type of liquid droplet ejection apparatus of this kind, it is necessary that, once a liquid droplet has been ejected, the liquid that is to be ejected next is immediately supplied (refilled) in such a manner that the ejection can be stably performed at high speed, at all times.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-25577 discloses a thermal inkjet type of liquid ejection head for improving the liquid droplet ejection efficiency as well as the refill efficiency simultaneously. In the thermal inkjet type of liquid ejection head, values of the inertance from an ejection energy generation element (electrical-thermal conversion element) to an ejection port (nozzle), the inertance from the ejection energy generation element to a supply port, and the inertance of the whole flow channel comprising the nozzles and a supply chamber are set.
Furthermore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-306537 discloses a piezoelectric type of liquid ejection head for preventing consecutive occurrence of nozzles suffering ejection failure and enabling image recording at high speed. In the piezoelectric type of liquid ejection head, relationships of the flow channel resistances of a liquid supply channel, a liquid supply system, the nozzles and liquid chambers, and the overall inertance from a liquid tank up to the nozzles are established.
If the refilling characteristics are taken into account, then it is necessary to consider both of the viscosity and the inertia (inertance), in order to ascertain the ease of movement of the liquid. In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-25577 or Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-306537, the values of the inertance and the flow channel resistances are set in order to improve refilling efficiency and increase the speed of recording.
On the other hand, there is a phenomenon whereby residual vibration of the meniscus remains due to the surface tension, after ejection of liquid, and these residual vibrations have an adverse effect on the next liquid ejection action. If the ejection frequency is low, then there is a spare time margin until the next liquid ejection action, and therefore, by introducing a drive waveform for stabilizing the meniscus surface by suppressing the vibration due to surface tension, during this spare time margin, it is possible to suppress the adverse effects caused by the vibration of the meniscus surface on the next ejection.
However, if the ejection frequency is high, then there is not a sufficient spare margin into which a drive waveform which suppresses the vibration of the meniscus surface is introduced, and hence there are possibilities that the vibration of the meniscus surface has an adverse effect on the next ejection action and it is difficult to achieve the stable ejection.
Furthermore, neither Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-25577 nor Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-306537 takes account of the ejection frequency, and hence the adverse effects on the ejection caused by residual vibration of the meniscus surface are not taken into consideration.